How A Chance Meeting On Set Led To Trejo's Tacos
You probably know Danny Trejo as a popular movie and TV actor, having appeared in films whose seriousness ranged from "Machete" to "Muppets Most Wanted" and in TV shows like "Sons of Anarchy" and "Breaking Bad." What you may not know is that Trejo is the owner of nine restaurants in southern California: eight Trejo's Tacos locations and one called Trejo's Coffee & Donuts (via Trejo's website).
The Mexican-style eateries are all about using fresh ingredients in their menu items, which might include Baja fish tacos, surf and turf burritos, blackened salmon bowls, or chicken tinga quesadillas, per the restaurant's website. Trejo's Tacos seems to be fairly well-rated, with a Los Angeles location receiving a four out of five rating on Tripadvisor.
Trejo didn't plan to play the role of restaurateur, but an unscripted interaction with a director changed all that. According to an interview Trejo had with GQ (via YouTube), Trejo's Tacos may have never come to fruition if it hadn't been for a conversation Trejo once had on set with Ash Shah, who co-founded the restaurant chain and is now a partner in the enterprise.
The idea for Trejo's Tacos was born on the set of Bad Ass
Danny Trejo told GQ (via YouTube) that he discovered while on the set of "Bad Ass" that the director, Ash Shah, was involved in restaurants – in fact, Shah has a Bachelor's degree in entrepreneurship from the University of Southern California (via LinkedIn). As Trejo recalled, "He saw that I like eating good food ... He said, 'Why don't you open a restaurant, Danny?' Jokingly, I said, 'Trejo's Tacos.' He brought me a business plan; I gave it to [my agent]. She kind of said, 'This is a no-brainer, Danny,'" noting Shah wasn't asking for a large up-front investment.
Today, Food & Wine calls Trejo's and Shah's collection of eateries "a formidable restaurant empire in LA." The company is now looking to expand beyond Los Angeles and even into other states, having recently been working to open a restaurant in Detroit and is considering other cities across the country like Phoenix, Denver, and Houston. Sounds like these two badass restaurateurs are just getting started.